Therapeutic gas can be delivered to patients, in need thereof, to provide medical benefits. One such therapeutic gas is nitric oxide (NO) gas that, when inhaled, acts to dilate blood vessels in the lungs, improving oxygenation of the blood and reducing pulmonary hypertension. Because of at least this, nitric oxide can be provided as a therapeutic gas in the inspiratory breathing gases for patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Further, many patients receive breathing gas (e.g., inspiratory breathing gas) from a ventilator that can at least vary pressure and/or flow (e.g., high frequency ventilator, etc.). Unlike conventional ventilators, high frequency ventilators use a constant distending pressure (mean airway pressure [MAP]) with pressure variations oscillating around the MAP at very high rates (e.g., up to 900 cycles per minute, etc.). In other words, high frequency ventilators maintain a constant pressure within the patient breathing circuit and this pressure oscillates at very high rates. Beneficially, this can encourage gas exchange across blood vessels in the patient's lungs.
Although high frequency ventilators can be beneficial, patients receiving breathing gas from high frequency ventilators may receive additional benefits from therapeutic gas. To take advantage of these additional benefits the therapeutic gas may need to be delivered into breathing gas that the patient receives from a breathing circuit affiliated with the high frequency ventilator. However, delivering therapeutic gas into patient breathing gas being delivered to a patient from a high frequency ventilator can be difficult and/or present unforeseen problems. These difficulties and/or unforeseen problems can impact the accuracy of therapeutic gas delivery and/or dosing.
Accordingly, a need exists to overcome the difficulties and/or unforeseen problems that can occur when delivering therapeutic gas to a patient receiving breathing gas from a ventilator that can at least vary pressure and/or flow (e.g., high frequency ventilator, etc.) to increase accuracy of therapeutic gas delivery and/or dosing.